As the Army Chief, Pinochet Won't Retreat

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The tears that Gen. Augusto Pinochet shed at a recent ceremony served as a powerful reminder of the uncertain future facing the man who has reigned over Chile bigger than life for 16 years.

Delivering his final state of the nation address on Sept. 11, an occasion marked by the Prussian pomp and discipline of the Chilean Army, the 73-year-old general's voice broke as he read a line in his speech saying he loved his country ''more than my own life.''

He put his hand over his eyes to cover the tears that followed, and his audience of Government members and supporters came to its feet, chanting, ''Pinochet! Pinochet!''

With the elections to choose his successor as President less than two and a half months away, those who surround General Pinochet say he is just beginning to realize that he must really hand over power.

All of his public statements indicate that he intends to proceed on schedule with the transition to elected government. Before the tears came in the speech, he said that the restoration of full democracy had always been the ''final objective'' of his Government.

The Constitution allows General Pinochet to continue as army commander after the new President is inaugurated next March, but the political opposition, which is strongly favored to win the elections, opposes that. An Intimidating Factor

A few opposition leaders dare to hope that General Pinochet might follow the path of many former Latin American dictators and fly off to sunny exile in Miami or the Caribbean, but most recognize in him a man determined to stay in his own country.

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Patricio Aylwin, a Christian Democrat who is the presidential nominee of the 17-party coalition that defeated General Pinochet in last year's plebiscite, said in an interview that he hoped a sizable majority in the Dec. 14 elections would give him the political power to negotiate with the armed forces for the general's departure from the army leadership.

Polls to date give Mr. Aylwin a clear majority over the two other candidates, former Finance Minister Hernan Buchi and Francisco Javier Errazuriz, a businessman. But it is not yet clear whether he could get the 60 percent of the popular vote that he wants so as to strengthen his hand.

What Mr. Aylwin would like to get around is a provision in the 1980 Constitution, drafted at General Pinochet's direction, prohibiting the elected President from replacing the commanders of the three military branches and the national police for eight years. While the Constitution also prohibits the commanders from intervening in political matters after the new President and Congress are installed, opposition leaders feel that the continuance of General Pinochet in the army post will be an intimidating factor, at the least.

General Pinochet has so far dismissed all demands that he give up his army command along with the presidency, and other army leaders have said they support him in that position.

The general says he intends to retain his command for two basic reasons: to protect his institution against efforts of politicians to cut its budget or take other steps to reduce its powers and privileges, and to help block any efforts to try members of the army for political killings, disappearances and torture.

Nearly 700 people are believed to have died after being detained by security forces during the early years of the military Government, and many more have suffered torture.

A version of this article appears in print on October 5, 1989, on Page A00014 of the National edition with the headline: As the Army Chief, Pinochet Won't Retreat. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe